North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says no running mate will be able to salvage the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) electoral prospects in the upcoming election.
Vice President and NPP’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is yet to announce his running mate for the 2024 general election scheduled for December 7, 2024 – a development some political analysts have described as long overdue.
However, Mr Ablakwa believes the deep-seated issues and failures under the Akufo-Addo administration have created an enormous challenge for any potential running mate to overcome.
According to the lawmaker, there is widespread public discontentment with what he described as rampant corruption, incompetence, and the current government’s perceived betrayal of the Ghanaian populace.
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said it was time for the NPP to exit office swiftly, asserting that the government’s record is sufficient grounds for its dismissal by the electorate.
“We take the view that no matter who is brought as running mate, the mess, the rot, the betrayal of trust and the anger of Ghanaians, that running mate will not save the ticket. This NPP government must leave immediately without delay so that this country will be rescued from the current mess,” he said on Joy News.
Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has conducted a survey to determine who should be the running mate for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the upcoming elections.
The NIB survey indicated that Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the energy minister, is widely preferred among party members to partner with Dr Bawumia.
The NIB report, which sampled the views of 5,116 NPP delegates nationwide, including national, regional, constituency, and polling station executives, said 76.2 per cent of respondents preferred Dr Prempeh.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, garnered 10.16 per cent of the responses.
Other candidates that made the list included Apostle Opoku Onyinah, former Chairman of the Pentecost Church-Ghana; and Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Agriculture and MP for Abetifi Constituency.